Garbage ATMs? These ‘Smart’ Dustbins Developed in Nashik Can Reward Users With Money!

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Four young men from Nashik came up with a unique idea in a bid to further their efforts to keep the country litter-free – maybe they could entice people into disposing waste in waste-bins if they could promise them rewards and money.

They built smart automated waste-bins called the KRRYP Garbage ATM. The system actually has two dustbins and one LCD screen. Users will be provided with a card that has to be swiped for the dustbins to work. Once they have swiped it, the LCD screen will automatically ask the user a general knowledge question with two options as answers (for either of the bins). For instance, if the user thinks the right answer is Option B, then they will dispose their waste in the bin marked B.

Depending on whether their answer is accurate, they will collect points in their smart cards, which they can later trade for coupons or cash.

Speaking to The Hindu, Rahul Patil, one of the four students that developed the prototype while studying in Sandip Polytechnic, said that even though their product is only at the prototype stage, it already has many takers waiting for it to be available to the public. He notes, “People are eagerly waiting for this project to be fully implemented so that they can earn something while disposing of their garbage properly. We are searching for sponsors to help us implement our project in major Indian cities as early as possible.”

The four men have recently completed their diplomas in electrical engineering and are trying to suss out ways this can be implemented on a large scale. The team is working on bins that will be used for different kinds of waste and they envision it being used everywhere from bus stands to railway stations.